Abstract
Study design
Comparative study of survey self-report data.
Objectives
To compare individuals living with spinal cord injury (SCI) in Switzerland to the general population in terms of mental health, quality of life, self-efficacy, and social support.
Setting
Community, Switzerland.
Methods
Data from the 2017 community survey of the Swiss Spinal Cord Injury Cohort Study were compared to data from two matched (1:3 nearest neighbor propensity score) general population surveys collected in the same year. Measures of mental health (mental health index, psychological distress item, vitality scale, and energy item), quality of life (WHOQOL-BREF item), self-efficacy (General Self-Efficacy Scale item), and social support (items of relationship satisfaction, living alone, and marital status) were compared across datasets using regression adjusted for non-response correction weights. The analyses were then replicated in subgroups defined by sociodemographic, lesion-related, and secondary health issues factors.
Results
Individuals with SCI had significantly higher psychological distress and poorer mental health, vitality, energy, and quality of life than the general population, with medium to large effect sizes (Cohen’s d: 0.35–1.08). They also had lower self-efficacy and relationship satisfaction, lived more frequently alone, and were more frequently single. Individuals with less severe secondary health issues reported mental health and quality of life more similar to the general population than those reporting more severe issues.
Conclusions
This study highlights a significant long-term impact of SCI on well-being and psychosocial resources, underlining the need for ongoing biopsychosocial care beyond inpatient rehabilitation.
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Data availability
Owing to our commitment to SwiSCI study participants and their privacy, datasets generated during the current study are not made publicly available but can be provided by the SwiSCI Study Center based on reasonable request (contact@swisci.ch)
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Acknowledgements
We thank the SwiSCI Steering Committee with its members Xavier Jordan, Fabienne Reynard (Clinique Romande de Réadaptation, Sion); Michael Baumberger, Hans Peter Gmünder (Swiss Paraplegic Center, Nottwil); Armin Curt, Martin Schubert (University Clinic Balgrist, Zürich); Margret Hund-Georgiadis, Kerstin Hug (REHAB Basel, Basel); Laurent Prince (Swiss Paraplegic Association, Nottwil); Heidi Hanselmann (Swiss Paraplegic Foundation, Nottwil); Daniel Joggi (Representative of persons with SCI); Nadja Münzel (Parahelp, Nottwil); Mirjam Brach, Gerold Stucki (Swiss Paraplegic Research, Nottwil); Armin Gemperli (SwiSCI Coordination Group at Swiss Paraplegic Research, Nottwil).
Funding
SwiSCI is hosted and funded by Swiss Paraplegic Research.
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VC contributed to the study protocol design, the preparation, harmonization, and analysis of the data, the interpretation of the results, and the drafting of the manuscript. SK contributed to the study protocol design, the harmonization discussion, the analysis of the data, the interpretation of the results, and gave feedback on the manuscript. CP contributed to the study protocol design, the harmonization discussion, the interpretation of the results, and gave feedback on the manuscript.
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Ethical approval was granted by the Ethikkommision Nordwest-und Zentralschweiz (EKNZ, Project-ID: 11042 PB_2016-02608, approved Dec 2016). We certify that all applicable institutional and governmental regulations concerning the ethical use of human volunteers were followed during the course of this research.
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Carrard, V., Kunz, S. & Peter, C. Mental health, quality of life, self-efficacy, and social support of individuals living with spinal cord injury in Switzerland compared to that of the general population. Spinal Cord 59, 398–409 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41393-020-00582-5
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41393-020-00582-5
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